1. Technical Field
The present device relates generally to a reusable, disposable, or confectionery drinking straw with an enlarged or bulbous end, the bulbous end portion having a plurality of apertures.
2. Background Information
There have been many attempts to develop novel ways to imbibe liquids with a drinking straw. Drinking straws have in the past been sold separately from the container, or they are attached to, and purchased with, a beverage container.
In their simplest configuration, drinking straws are freestanding, simple vertical tubes. In more complex configurations, drinking straws are freestanding, ornamental straws that spiral, loop, or bend in ways that draw the user's attention to the flow of the contents through the straw as the beverage is sipped. A drawback of the more complex straws is that they are difficult to clean and may be unsanitary.
In other configurations, a straw with a movable extension, usually made of plastic, is built into a beverage container. The user pulls up the straw from the cap of the container and extracts the contents. The straw is stored by replacing the top of the straw back into its horizontal position in the cap of the container.
In yet other configurations, the drinking straw is purchased with the container, but is removable from the container. The container is designed to allow the straw to fit through a hole in the container. This straw remains in a near vertical position when in use or in storage. In some of these configurations, the straw has a removable cap molded around a base of the straw that can fit over the straw. The removable cap for the straw is designed to snap onto the straw when the straw is not in use, so as to keep the straw clean.
The drinking straw device of the current invention can be used to imbibe the contents of a beverage from either end of the straw. However, when the bulbous end of the drinking straw device of the current invention is placed in the beverage, the straw also can be an excellent mechanism for stirring the beverage.
As the user sips from the straw of the current invention, the rush of liquid to the palate through strategically-placed or randomly-placed apertures in the bulbous end portion of the straw device provides a new experience for users, who receive a novel burst (meaning a single stream of liquid breaks apart to become a multiple stream) of liquid that is exciting, yet sensually pleasing to the palate.
The drinking straw of the current invention can be made from any suitable fibrous or non-fibrous material, such as metal, hard or flexible tubing, plastic, resin, and paper. The present invention can be manufactured for use separately, or can be manufactured for use as an integral part of a container.
As a separately purchased straw device, the present invention can become a standard piece of cutlery used in formal or informal indoor and outdoor dining settings, depending upon the material used for manufacturing the device. Sterling silver, stainless steel, or other metals are the preferable material for use in formal and informal indoor dining settings. One advantage of the current invention is that in its simplest and most elegant configuration, it can be cleaned and sanitized for reuse in a fashion similar to other cutlery.
The straw of the current invention is also suitable for use as a new confection. Lollipops are solid, hard candy or they contain “treats” that have been stored within the body cavity of the candy. With the current invention, the straw is made of lollipop confection of any flavor. The instant confectionery straw can itself flavor a beverage through which the user sips the liquid.
In the confectionery form of the current invention, the drinking straw can be entirely edible, or only partially edible, depending upon the composition of the materials used to support the confection. The normally jaded lollipop user will have a novel confection that also can be used in a new and different way—to increase their pleasurable drinking experience as the device dissolves into, and blends with, their favorite beverage.
Children will be delighted to carry their own private drinking straws of the present invention, which are shaped in the form of a bracelet. The drinking straw bracelet is preferably made of a pliable material, such as plastic, that can be flexed to form a serpentine configuration around the child's arm. The enlarged end of the novelty drinking straw is preferably in a child-attractive shape, such as a bird, dolphin, fruit, flower, or cartoon character. In this configuration, the straw can be made from single or multiple colors for carrying and use, for example, at amusement parks. The drinking straw of the current invention also would be suitable as a party favor, for example, at a child's birthday party.